The National University of Singapore Green Carnival 2007 kicked off at the Central Forum on Monday with the university pledging to cut down on the energy consumption of air-conditioning on campus.

South West District Mayor Amy Khor was guest-of-honour for the event. In her opening address, she said the Campus Sustainability Committee had decided “to reduce the energy load of air-conditioned facilities in NUS by raising their default room temperatures to 25 degrees Celsius” beginning in November.

“Today’s event is significant, as it marks the beginning of intensified efforts to reduce resource- and energy-consumption in NUS,” Khor said.

Vibeke Rovsing Lauritzen, the Danish ambassador to Singapore and another guest-of-honour at the event, said the carnival underscored the importance of individual effort in resolving the global environmental crisis.

“The problem of global warming is man-made and will not solve itself,” she said. “It can be solved by us, the consumers, being considerate, combined with a strong political effort.”

According to a press release sent out by the organizers from Students Against Violation of the Earth, the carnival aimed to generate awareness for the global environmental crisis and to promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Lucy Duong, external vice chairperson of SAVE, said this year’s carnival was done on a bigger scale than in previous years with more activities, such as movie screening, an eco-fashion show, a power plant visit and a recycling program.

Apart from targeting the campus population, external participants, such as students of Juying Secondary School, were also invited.

Billy Goh, a teacher from Juying Secondary School, said he hoped his students would “take home environmental lessons with them at the end of the day.”

“Firstly, I brought them here on a learning journey, as there is a lot of talk on environmental issues recently around the world,” he said. “Secondly, we were invited by NUS, and this event ties in with the lessons learnt from the students’ geography class.”

Some participants, such as Hamsavalli d/o Suppagan Sodimani, a third-year life science major, said she felt the event was meaningful.

“I hope they (NUS students) know that every little action of theirs has both a direct and an indirect implication on the environment,” she said.

Mark Broghi, an exchange student from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, agreed.

“What hurts me the most is to see the ‘plastic culture’ here, along with the high usage of air-conditioning and other environmentally damaging actions.

“I’m quite impressed that the university is doing something to promote environmentally friendly practices, such as keeping the temperature of the air-conditioning above a certain level.” Broghi added that he would be monitoring to see if people follow that commitment on campus.

According to Duong, external vice chairperson of SAVE, the organizing committee was expecting a turnout of around 300-400 students. However, internal vice chairperson Loo Deliang said, only about 200 people turned up at the event on Monday.

Some students, such as Nicholas Ho, a fourth-year computer science major, said there was insufficient publicity for the event.

“I was just passing through. I didn’t know there was a Green Carnival today,” Ho said, adding that he “knew about this event only from the posters and fliers in the carnival.”

Jenna Goh, a second-year history major, agreed.

“I think the organizers need to have more publicity for this event,” she said. “I had no idea about it before I came.”

Despite the lack of awareness, students who turned up for the carnival said it was an enjoyable experience.

“I think this carnival is not bad, especially the Carbon Maze, (at) which I will take a look later,” Goh said.

The Green Carnival 2007 was held from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24 at the Central Forum.

Khor said the carnival was a well-timed prelude to the upcoming “Clean and Green Singapore celebration next month.”